The Last Youngling
by Anakin M Skywalker
Summary: Jedi Youngling: Zairo Detakal is the lone survivor out of the class of younglings on Coruscant. He survived The Great Jedi Purge but can he escape Vader and his Inquisitors?
1. The Start of the End

He sprinted through the crowd, narrowly dodging the blaster fire behind him, looking for somewhere to hide. He kept on running, running through the endless city. He heard a bang, then nothing but the soft sound of humming. Humming or ringing, he couldn't decide.

He looked left and right, his eyes searching for somewhere he can rest. Somewhere away from the Empire. It was his own fault that he'd been seen: he was the one who stole a blaster, he was the one who decided to wear his Jedi Robes out in public. He knew it was punishable by death to be a Jedi, even to help a Jedi was something you'd probably lose your life for, if caught doing so. He just hated waiting around, laying in the shadows: he had been doing it for four years. He was the oldest youngling in his class: none of the Masters had wanted to take him on. He was either too reckless, too impatient, too curious or just not what they needed right now. It wasn't his fault he wasn't the perfect Jedi, he needed someone to teach him, but nobody would.

As he continued to run, his pace slowing every time he turned a corner, he remembered _that_ day four years ago.

The other younglings were still in the classroom, where they were meant to be, _where he was meant to be._ He had left, hoping to find something more interesting than just hiding in a room. He had seen all of the clone legions, near the Temple, turn on some of the elder Jedi, and so he ran. And he didn't stop until he reached the senate building. He tried to shake away the thought, it brought back too many bad memories.

In the corner of his eye he saw a red glow emerging from an alleyway. He walked towards it, he couldn't help himself, he needed to know what the light was. Then he heard it: the distinct hum of a lightsaber, something he hadn't heard in a long time. He turned around, knowing that whoever wielded the sword was bad news. As he made his way towards the end of the alleyway, he saw _the_ group of stormtroopers closing in on him. It was a trap, one his own curiosity and stupidity had lead him straight into.

He stood still, his flushed face now turning a chalky white. He was feeling dizzy and was now struggling to breathe.

"Don't try anything Jedi, we wouldn't want something to happen to you before I hand you over to the The Emperor, do we now?"

The voice came from a tall Pau'an, one who worked for the Emperor, one who he knew to be: the Grand Inquisitor. The Grand Inquisitor held his lightsaber close to his throat, close enough for it to burn, but not close enough to kill.

"Where's your master, boy? You're too young to have survived out here for this long."

He looked at the Inquisitor, trying to hold back tears of pain, "I never had a master. No one wanted to train me."

The Grand Inquisitor looked at him and smiled, cruelly, "I think you might just be what the Emperor is after. What's your name, boy?"

He looked at the shadowy figure glaring down on him and with his eyes filled with terror, he stuttered: "Zairo, Zairo Detakal."


	2. Hope From The Senate

The Inquisitor lowered his saber and indicated the stormtroopers to come closer, his eyes locked on Zairo. He turned to the troops, "Take him to the Senate building, the Emperor is waiting for him there. I have other business to attend to."

The Grand Inquisitor then left, disappearing into the crowds of Coruscant, leaving Zairo pinned against a wall by two stormtroopers.

"Drop the weapon, kid," one Stormtrooper ordered, indicating the stolen blaster, which was still held in the boy's firm grip, "Drop it now."

Zairo glared at them, but he knew it was no use to retaliate: he dropped the blaster.

The second trooper then took out a pair of handcuffs and, unwillingly, Zairo held his hands out in front of him. The Empire had won. His fate was now left in the hands of the Emperor.

As he was _dragged_ towards the Senate building, Zairo saw the once grand Temple, now a piece of rubble warning all Jedi to stay clear of the Empire. He remembered sprinting across the route they were going, trying to find help. He hadn't stopped running until he saw a familiar face, heading towards the docks.

"Senator, sir, please wait."

The tall man, known as Bail Organa, turned his attention, away from golden droid next to him and reverted it, to Zairo.

"The... the clones, they were... killing... Jedi. I.. I ran and hid, then I ran some more. And then I saw you." Zairo let it all out, tears streaming down his face, as he struggled for air.

Organa turned to the droid, "C3PO go watch Leia, nothing can happen to her."

Zairo stood, shivering, in front of the ship.

Senator Organa looked at him, his eyes filled with sorrow, "The Jedi have been named traitors of the Republic, or Empire now I should say. I don't think any of the senators agree with it, I certainly don't, but the Senate is likely to make no difference now. The Emperor will probably have the final say."

Zairo ruffled his hair, rubbing his eyes at the same time, "What will happen to me now? I don't want to be killed like other Jedi, sir. I don't want to die."

Bail Organa looked at the young boy stood before him, he was about to return to Alderaan with a daughter, a daughter Breha couldn't have. "Come with me to Alderaan, you can stay with me and my wife until the next meeting here."

Bail smiled, hiding the pain and torment he was going through, and put his his arm round Zairo's shoulder.

"Thank you sir."


	3. Duty of Care

"Move it," yelled one of the stormtroopers, as Zairo started to slow down. The young boy hastened, the thoughts of years before, overthrown by everything happening to him now. Zairo forced himself to look at the distant dockyard, he could see a ship, which he recognised as Bail Organa's. The cold edge of a blaster met his back, he felt it digging into his skin, "I said move it, kid."

Zairo kept walking; there was nothing he could do now, but wait.

As he was marched through the senate building, towards Palpatine's office, a group of senators, who had just exited the congress, walked past. Zairo saw Organa, and they locked eye contact. But it didn't last long, within seconds, the boy was being forced into an elevator. His only hope, gone.

"Breha, I have news, some terrible and other wondrous." Bail looked at his wife, trying to remain happy and calm, for her, "The Senator I work closely with: Padme Amidala, has passed, but after witnessing a loss of life, I decided we need to help some of those suffering from their own losses. You have always said you wanted a daughter, so here I present: Leia, soon to be princess of Alderaan." Bail cradled the baby, kissing her head, and then handed her to his wife.

Breha looked at him, "She's beautiful, and is everything I could've dreamed of as a daughter. She truly is our little princess. I am sorry about your associate, you have spoken dearly of her in the past."

"I have other news, Breha, some may be hard to hear. The Republic has fallen, where it once stood is the Empire. But... the Empire has classified the Jedi as a threat, most have now been killed, a few survived and are now going into hiding. The whole point of our government on this planet is to help those who can't help themselves, and I happened to stumble across a boy, barely seven years of age, who needs our help. The Empire will kill him, i had to offer him somewhere to stay, just until I return back to Coruscant. My dear Breha, the child needs it. We can't just let him die."

Breha hugged him," It is our duty to care for him, he is welcome to stay until then. Where is he now?"

Bail exhaled, in relief," Aboard the Tantive IV still, I asked him to wait until I spoke to you first."

Breha smiled, " I look forward to meeting him."

The elevator doors opened and Zairo was pushed out by the troopers. The golden and red walls,with chiselled pillars, felt out of place now. It was once a place of democracy, but during the end of the war it had turned to a place of conflict. As they walked past paintings of vast gardens full of life, Zairo could only imagine what they looked like now: factories making weapons and ships: things the Empire were never short of. He wished there was something he could do to stop the Empire; he knew of rebellions in the Outer Rim. However all had been destroyed instantly. the Empire was too powerful.

The doors to the Emperor's office opened. Zairo had been in there once before, with Master Skywalker, the only Jedi he could relate to. Both were as Master Kenobi said: "impulsive, reckless and didn't know where to start and when to stop." Zairo guessed that was true, but his recklessness had kept him alive four years more than the other younglings.

He could see the Emperor, he was stood looking out the window, looking at his 'Empire'.

"Emperor, my Lord, we have brought you the _Jedi,_ that the Inquisitor caught," announced the Stormtrooper, which was holding a blaster to Zairo.

"Thank you, trooper, that will be all."

The Stormtrooper kicked Zairo forwards, then exited the room, the doors sliding as he left.

"Zairo Detakal, you didn't think your survival had gone unnoticed, did you?" The Emperor asked, as he turned around to face the him.

Zairo didn't know what to say, how to say it, so he let his impulse decide," Well it did take you four years to find me. And most of that time I was in Coruscant."

The Emperor glared at him, "You may be a Jedi, but you don't act like one."

"Actions don't determine belief, and I believe I'm a Jedi."

The Emperor smirked, amused by what the young boy had said, "I believe you're a fool. But you remind of a boy that once knew."

Zairo stood there, unsure of what to reply with. He reminded the Emperor of something, and he didn't think that was a particularly good thing.

"There was a boy who joined the _Jedi Order_ when he was a few years younger than yourself. The Jedi Masters could sense fear in him. Much like they sensed it in you. Much like I sense it in you.," The Emperor paused, and stepped closer towards Zairo, "You have two choices, boy: you join the Empire, or you die."


	4. The Emperor

Zairo didn't want to help the Empire, they were who destroyed everything he once knew, rewrote everything he stood for. But he didn't want to die. After death there was nothing he could do, at least if he joined the Empire he could gain their trust. Then he'd be able to leave, maybe steal enough resources to find another Jedi, Senator Organa had claimed he knew of a few survivors.

"I'll... I'll... join the Empire."

"Good, good. You're cooperation is vital for the Empire to succeed."

Palpatine saw the tears welling in Zairo's eyes. He saw the anger and hatred flowing through him. He saw the Empire dominating the known universe.

Bail Organa boarded the Tantive IV, walking in on Zairo attempting to meditate. "Zairo, my boy, my wife welcomes you warmly and urges you to come into the palace immediately."

"Thank you Senator, thank you."

The pair walked through the capital, it was beautiful. Zairo had never left Coruscant; the change of towering scrapers to villas woven into hills was astonishing. They kept on walking until they reached the palace.

Zairo stared out of the window, from up here he could everything, "Why do you need me to help? What can I do that you and your Empire already can't", he demanded.

The Emperor raised his eyebrows, clearly not used to being spoken to in that manner. "Most Jedi are more, how do I put it: unwilling to change. And they must be _disposed_ of."

Zairo looked at him, unsure what to make of it.

"As I presume you are aware of, Lord Vader has acquired some... Inquisitors. Their job is to hunt down the remaining Jedi. The Jedi know what to expect when dealing with _my_ Inquisitors, but they wouldn't be expecting you."

The Emperor reverted his vision back to Zairo.

"And despite the fact it took this long to... find you, we have been monitoring you for a long period of time. We just have been unable to make... _contact_ with you."

Zairo remained silent, but he turned his head to face the Emperor.

"You didn't think you'd slipped through the Empire's radar did you?" The Emperor opened his mouth to continue, but was interrupted by his holocom.

"My Master, The Inquisitor informed me of the boy's capture. We will be landing shortly."

The voice came from a small, blue, flickering image of Darth Vader.

Zairo gulped, if there was one person he despised most it was Darth Vader. Senator Organa once told him, Darth Vader was the one who stormed the Jedi Temple, murdering everyone he once knew. Then, he left the planet searching for the war hero: Anakin Skywalker. Zairo could remember the story well, they fought on a volcanic planet to the death. If Master Skywalker couldn't kill Vader, no one could.


	5. Belonging

Zairo tried to wipe the sweat from his face, the room's temperature rapidly rising. His handcuffed hands darted to the now-empty belt, searching for his lightsaber.

Bail smiled at Zairo, "My boy, it may be wise of you to get rid of your lightsaber. You may feel safer with it, but without it nobody will know what you really are."

The words clung to the boy, 'what you really are'. Being a Jedi has always been dangerous, even before the purge, but now it was seen as a crime. One deemed worse than being a smuggler or a pirate. Zairo looked at the silver hilt, which was held securely in his belt. Then he slowly pulled it out; finally he placed it into the garbage chute, which was nearby. He looked at the chute, as if waiting for the force to pull it out. His whole life destroyed by a garbage compactor.

The Emperor watched Zairo struggling to find his weapon,"There is no escape, the Empire is merciless. You are now mine. Your life belongs to me. When Lord Vader arrives he will take you to Lothal, there you will be trained."

The young Jedi quickened his breathing, his heart racing as he realised that there was nothing he could do. As he took a deep breath, trying to calm down, Palpatine released Zairo from his handcuffs. They fell to the floor, breaking the stiff silence. Zairo brought his hand to his ear, it had bled severely after the blaster shot.

"You must learn to channel your pain, the more powerful it is, the stronger you will become."

Zairo knew the ways of falling to the Darkside. Master Yoda had gone through them on a regular basis. Fear lead to Anger, Anger leads to Hate, Hate leads to Suffering. And once you've gone that far, even the wisest Jedi would be consumed by the Darkness.


End file.
